


Joy Shared Is Doubled Sorrow Shared Is Halved

by Le_petit_pauvre



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Angst, Bedtime Stories, Canonical Child Abuse, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Fluff, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Child Abuse, post MGS4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-05-23 20:01:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6128491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Le_petit_pauvre/pseuds/Le_petit_pauvre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack had finally decided to put aside the past and become a loving husband and a caring father to his young son. After a whole day of father-son bonding and reconciliation between him and Rose; it's time to put John to bed. The 5 year old requests his father read him a bedtime story that uncovers a memory from his rather "peculiar" childhood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Papa…" A small, soft voice called out. "Could you read me a bedtime story?"

"Of course,John." Jack said as he ran his fingers through his son's silvery white hair. "What kind of story would you like me to read,kiddo?"

The young boy's face lit up.

"I know which one!" He beamed as he climbed out of his bed and skimmed his tiny fingers across the spines of the books stored neatly on his oak bookshelf.

"Seems like little Johnny boy likes to read," Jack observed as he glanced at the numerous comic books,textbooks,picture books, and chapter books packed tightly and orderly onto every single shelf.

"Considering how smart and quiet he is, I'm not surprised... Taking cues after his mother, I see. Only Rose never used to keep her things so tidy."

John then pulled out a book titled "Stories and Fables From Around The World". He sat back down onto his bed and flipped through the pages of the voluminous book. The stories were organized by their countries of origin, spanning from the Americas,Europe,Asia and Africa. He stopped at a page and handed it to his father to read. Tapping his finger near the title.

"The Cow Tail Switch, huh?" Jack said as he read the title. He then proceeded to read the story to his son. It was pretty short and went something like this:

Every day when the sun rose, a man went to hunt. And every evening he retuned to his home and his family with the prize of his hunt. But one day he didn't return. Days turned into months, but the man still didn't return. On the seventh month, the wife bore the man his seventh son. The boy was named Asa. When Asa first learned to speak, the boy asked "Where is my papa?"

Yes," said the eldest son. "Where is our papa?"  
"He should have come back a long time ago." Said the second son

"Something must've happened." Said the third

"I saw him go towards the village." Said the fourth son

"I saw him go across the river." Said the fifth

"We should follow his footsteps to see if they will lead us to him." Said the sixth

They walked deep into the forest until the reached a clearing. On the ground were the man's bones and his rusted spear.

The eldest put the man's bones back together, the second put flesh in the bones, the third made blood flow through his veins, the fourth put breath back into his body, the fifth gave it the ability to move, and the sixth gave him the power of speech.

When they came home, the village celebrated the man's return. The man braided a cow's tail and decorated it beautifully. He offered to give it to the son that did the most to bring him back to life. 6 of his older sons argued over the beautiful cow tail, but it was ultimately given to Asa.

"I will give it to Asa because he asked 'Where is my papa?'" Their father reasoned. "You see, a person is dead only when he's truly forgotten."

As Jack read the story aloud, he felt a twinge of sadness. A memory from his childhood had begun to unearth itself.

"I believe I've heard this before," The older man stated.

  
"Back in Liberia?"

  
"Mom told you about that?"

"Yeah. She told me that you were forced to kill people when you were only six years old. That's kinda why I picked this story; it's from Liberia and I thought you would've heard it. I also wanted to know more about when happened to you while you were there," John said frankly;his tone laced with melancholic curiosity.

Jack understood the boy's intentions. He had every right to know about his days as a Liberian child soldier. Jack also admired how he tried to use a bedtime story to segue way into a conversation about his past. He is Rose's son, after all.

"Well, you have the basic gist of what happened in Liberia when I was there," Jack stated nonchalantly. "But there that story did remind me of this one boy I met."

The details of the boy's physical features have eroded from his mind like a slab of limestone out in the rain,but there were other details about him that were as clear as ever.

"What was his name?" John asked as his innocent curiosity started to peak.

"His name was Ekundayo, if I remember correctly. He used to tell me stories when I couldn't sleep at night," Jack reminisced;leaving out exactly how many of his nights were sleepless so he wouldn't have to go into detail about the nightmares he had. He didn't want to traumatize his son with the same gruesome images he had to endure.

"He was almost like a brother to me," He added.

All those warm,fuzzy memories came flooding back to him. Through the crimson mist of blood and light brown dirt,Ekundayo was that soft, comforting glimmer of happiness that no one else provided him. The same fatherly glow that kept the fraying threads that clung to his sanity from breaking for so long.

"Did something happen to him? Did you ever see him again?"  
"Unfortunately,no," His father answered. "He left at one point, but I honestly couldn't tell you where. Probably to another base or something," Jack said as he stared up at the ceiling trying to remember.

He had never been so open about this topic before. He didn't know why he was so comfortable telling this to his 5 year old son,and yet refused to breath a word about it to his then girlfriend until it was forced out of him. Maybe he was finally ready to rise above the blind cruelty taught to him by Solidus and become the man he always wanted to be,to put aside the past,to be like the heroes in Ekundayo's stories.

"Really? I imagine you were pretty upset," the young boy stated.  
"Yeah,I was very upset." Jack answered. The memory of the day Ekundayo left became clearer and clearer. He then proceeded to tell his son about that fateful afternoon.

1996

"I'm going away," The man said sadly. Ekundayo had grown attached to this white haired boy,treated him as if he were of his own family.

He knew that is was a bad idea to have a connection to something that he could very easily lose,he learned that the hard way,but he simply couldn't resist taking pity on the boy. It felt so nice to have a family again. Now,however,he has to leave it all behind and start over again.

"W-why? Please don't go!" He begged as tears streamed down his face. In any other situation,he would've held a stoic expression in an attempt to appear "manly";but his sorrowful wails and blurring tears drowned out those thoughts.

"I'm not leaving right away,thankfully," Ekundayo comforted. "I'll be going tomorrow, that means I could tell you one last story before I go."

"O-ok," He said in a soft voice. "I would like that very much."  
It didn't matter to him that he was being told a bedtime story at the age of 14;all he wanted was to spend time with his best friend.

Ekundayo lifted Jack's wet chin up so his eyes met his.

  
"I'll be by your side for the entire day until I have to leave. Promise."

A faint smile spread across the teen's face.  
Even though he was a brutal killer under orders, Ekundayo wasn't the slightest bit afraid of him.

Though all the caked on blood and feigned malevolence,what he saw was a young man forced to commit atrocities with the power to be something more than an expendable soldier.

When night fell, Ekundayo lived up to his promise and told him one last story called "The Cow Tail Switch". When the time came for him to leave,Jack hugged him tightly.

"I don't want to see you go," He choked out.  
"Don't worry,Jack. One day we might be able to see each other again," Ekundayo said softly. "Who knows? Maybe we'll meet again in America."

"Maybe," Jack said as he sniffed away his tears.  
"But I'll still miss you."  
"I will, too," The older man said softly. "But remember the story I told you yesterday; 'a person is only gone when he is truly forgotten.' If you remember me fondly, I'll always be with you in here." He explained pointing at Jack's heart.

"Mr. Azikiwe!" A commander's voice called out.

  
"Coming,sir!..Till we meet again,Jack."

2014

"After he left, I felt so lonely," Jack said softly.  
"I killed way more brutally after that. I was so upset at the fact that the took the closest thing I had to family away from me again," He explained.

"That's so sad," John said sympathetically.

  
"Yeah…" Jack sighed.

  
"Papa?"

  
"Hm?"

  
"Looks like you read me two bedtime stories," John stated proudly.

  
"Seems like it," Jack said as he climbed out of his son's bed and walked towards the door.

  
"But I liked your story better."

Jack smiled as a swarm of happiness and warmth spread across his body. It was a simple compliment,but it meant the world to him coming from his son.

  
"Thanks," Jack said grinning from ear to ear.

"Goodnight,Jonathan."

  
"Goodnight,Papa. I love you," His son replied as he yawned.

  
"Love you too, kiddo."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The author didn't have anything else to do in her life so here's a chapter 2 that no one asked for!

_Ekundayo Azikiwe_  
_Born February 3rd 1978 in Liberia to Eleanor and Quincy Azikiwe_  
_Kayode Azikiwe is born 1980_  
_Parents and baby brother killed 1981_  
_The blood of 100 men fall on Ekundayo's hands by 1985_

Carved into the soft dirt of the bunker;the young soldier saw his life written out before him. All the shame and poignancy the fourth sentence carried,the moment that changed his life for the worse,the memory he tries to rewrite in a naive and desperate attempt to feel better somehow didn't hit as hard. He felt a twinge of relief seeing the 9 year old mark the soil with his knife and impress himself with his penmanship. Blissfully desensitized to the cruelty of what he had written down.

"So if you were born in 1978 and today is 1992,that means you're...14 years old?" The silver haired boy asked.

  
"Very good,Jack. You're a quick learner!" The  
teen said cheerfully.

  
"Thanks,Eku," Jack replied.

"Lights out!" A man yelled from the far end of the room as the lights flickered off.

All the young soldiers then covered themselves with the coarse cotton sheets and drifted off to sleep. About half an hour later,Ekundayo heard the wild rustling of sheets coming from the bed next to him.

  
"Another nightmare..." He thought to himself.

Ekundayo lightly nudged at Jack's shoulder;urging him to wake. When he eventually did,the dark skinned teen held the young boy close and rocked him back and forth.

"Ekundayo...Can you tell me a story?" Jack whispered.

  
"Of course. Which one?"

  
"What was the one with the pretty lady and the shoe called? The one you told me a few days ago?"

  
"It's called Cinderella," Ekundayo explained.

  
"Can you tell me that one? I really liked it."

  
"Of course,Jack."

Near the end of the story,Ekundayo noticed Jack had fallen asleep. He covered the sleeping boy with the sheets and retreated into his own bed.

Ever since he befriended Jack two years ago during training,most of his nights played out like this. He didn't mind at all,though. Mama did the same thing for him,and he would've done the same thing for little Kayode.

 _Would've_.

That word haunted him for his entire life.

_What would've happened if I escaped here?  
_

_What would've happened to Jack if I died with my family?_

_"You're going to be a big brother,Eku! Or at least...you would've,"_ his inner voice mocked.

  
"Stop it!"

  
_"Don't deny the truth. You couldn't save your family,so your gonna live with it like the rest of the boys here."_

Throughout the night,Ekundayo was tormented by his thoughts until Jack woke him up in the morning.

  
"Ekundayo,you have to get up for training," Jack pressured.

  
"Ok,Jack. I'm up," he said begrudgingly.

The next year,Jack became captain of the Small Boy Unit;the unit Ekundayo was in.

"You're becoming a big boy,Jack. I'm proud of you."

  
"Thanks,Eku."

  
"Y'know,being a captain is a big responsibility. You better be up for it," Ekundayo warned.

  
"I am!" Jack beamed.

  
"Good."  
  
For the next 5 years,things went along as they always did. They ate,fought,and trained together and by night Ekundayo told Jack a bedtime story. That is until Ekundayo was transferred to another base.

Ekundayo's heart broke at the news and having to tell Jack...but he had to tell him,no matter what. There was no point in arguing,for he knew that would get him nowhere. He was simply to be placed where he was needed like a chess piece. A pawn in the game of war;disposable and expendable.

Poor Jack and poor Ekundayo were left all alone,yet again. The pain that they thought would disappear simply came back ten fold. But there was still a glimmer of hope for them to meet again. A ship's lantern against a moonless sea,if you will.

Or a gun's flash against the dead of night.

 _June 4th,1997_  
_Exactly 22 days after Jack's 15th birthday_  
_And four months and one day after Ekundayo's 19th_  
_Covered by the nightly rain,a stray bullet hit Ekundayo's side_

As the droplets pelted him and sent sharp pains rippling through his body,he came to terms with the inevitable. All the crackles of gunfire and the roar of helicopters seemed far away.  
So very far away.

"Jack..." He called out in vain. Knowing the boy he cared for like a brother was miles away.  
Never to see him again.

  
"I promised him," he thought as the burning guilt rushed to his cooling face and tears blurred his vision.

"I said we would meet again...but now here I am on my deathbed."

A memory of Jack's smile and his peaceful,sleeping expression crossed his mind. It made him happy.

  
"No more of this dumb war,no more pain,no more hardship...no more Jack," he brooded.

He saw the face of his parents and little Kayode.

This was it.

The end.

"Till we meet again...Jack," he whispered with a smile.

Amongst the rotting corpses with expressions of primal rage preserved within their faces,Ekundayo's faint smile was an oddity;a sharp contrast to his entire world. Despite everything,he managed to have a peaceful death while thinking of the cherished time he spent with his comrade,his brother in arms,his drive to keep on living.

_Jack._

While no one could ever be sure of what happens after death,one could take solace in believing that Ekundayo wanders the afterlife happily with his family;watching over the boy he cared for so dearly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I choked up a little bit while writing this ;-;  
> I hope you liked it,and sorry if it got a little corny near the end.  
> Leave comments and kudos~

**Author's Note:**

> I got the “Cow Tail Switch” story from a book I have called “Eliza’s Freedom Road”. At the end it explained how this story is from Liberia and,naturally, I thought of Raiden and the premise for this fanfic.  
> Also fun fact: Ekundayo means “sorrow becomes joy” in Yoruba (a West African language).


End file.
